Agent Provocateur (31 page)

‘Well, you could come in tomorrow.’ He pulls out his Palm Pilot and checks his diary. ‘About two?’

‘Sounds good. I’ve got nothing else to do.’

‘What you are doing now?’ His voice is full of concern.

‘Shopping, I guess. What all women do when they need to cheer themselves up. Oh, and I’ll probably go home and watch
Carry
On
Camping
.’ Grace has decided that if the golf isn’t enough she will invite him to a film with her. She has no idea where or how, but sowing the seed now seems like a good idea.
Carry
On
Camping
is the only one she knows.

‘You like
Carry
On
films?’

‘Love them.’ She smiles and so does he. It is incredible that she likes the same things he does. That is the thought he takes with him that afternoon.

Grace doesn’t go shopping when she leaves him. She goes home to prepare for her job that evening. But although she is determined to remain professional, she is acutely aware of the lies.

Betty spends an hour shopping. She decides that as she has a work function that night she will thrill her husband the following night to within an inch of his life. She smiles and then laughs. Her confidence is back.

Chapter Twenty-Five

‘Unbelievable,’ Grace says, when she has listened to him.

‘What?’ Johnny is feeling nervous about her reaction for some reason.

‘I understood. I actually understood! Wow, this is amazing.’

‘Brilliant. I must be better at explaining things than I think.’

‘Oi, matey, it might be that I am actually secretly a financial whiz-kid.’ They look at each other. ‘Nah,’ they say in unison and laugh.

‘Grace, I hope you’re all right about your job now?’

‘I was upset, but more because of security than anything. But now I feel liberated, free. I feel like doing something really crazy.’

‘Such as?’

‘A bungee jump or something – I don’t know – but something that I wouldn’t normally do.’

‘Well, be careful.’ He laughs. ‘Listen to me, I sound like a stick in the mud.’

The phone rings to announce his next appointment is here. Grace stands up.

‘Thank you for letting me disrupt your day.’ She smiles and walks to the door. He follows her.

‘It was a pleasure,’ he replies, still feeling light-headed. She leans in and kisses his cheek, lingering for just a few seconds. He blushes again.

‘Goodbye,’ she says. The papers he prepared for her are still on his desk, the lipstick mark is on his face. Traces of Grace, both mental and physical, are there.

She is about to get into the lift when someone calls her. She turns to find herself facing a young suited man whom she has never seen before.

‘It’s Grace, isn’t it?’

‘Hello, do I know you?’ She hopes to God that she doesn’t, as the panic of someone who is being deceptive intensifies.

‘No, sorry, I’m stalking you. Oh God, that sounds awful. Don’t call the police, I’m not really stalking you, but I saw you come in for an appointment and I wanted to talk to you.’ He looks flustered; Grace looks amused. A perfect tool for a new phase has fallen into her lap.

‘Well, my non-stalker, I’m at a disadvantage. I have no idea who you are.’

‘Dan. Sorry, I’m Dan. I work with Johnny. I’m also a financial adviser.’

‘Typical, you wait years for one and then two come along at the same time.’ Her composure returns as quickly as it had fled.

‘What?’

‘I’m teasing. Tell me, Dan, what can I do for you, or are you trying to poach me from Johnny?’

‘Oh no, nothing like that. No, I wouldn’t nick business. I just wondered if you might... Shit, I sound like a moron. Of course you don’t want to.’

‘Meet me at seven at the bar round the corner, what’s it called?’

He steps back in surprise. Grace is smiling at him with one eyebrow arched.

‘Aeration?’

‘That’s the one. I’ll see you tonight at seven, shall I?’

‘You certainly will.’

Grace shoots him a last smile before getting into the lift. She notices the receptionist staring at them, which is good. She just hopes she is a gossip. Just before the doors fully close she catches him still looking at her. He appears so pleased with himself, and he was sweet. Grace feels awful: another life played with, although she is sure he won’t suffer too much. A date, a kiss on the cheek, he’ll recover. He’s just a casualty of her own private war and, unfortunately, as in every war, there have to be casualties.

Grace arrives home and goes to her notebook. Under the heading ‘Phase Five’ she writes two words: ‘jealousy’ and ‘Dan’. Then she goes to get ready for her date. Perhaps she is going to hurt him, or maybe he’s a playboy that picks up women and discards them all the time. Of course, she will not feel bad about him because a man who asks a woman out after just seeing her in his office must be full of confidence, and also a serial philanderer. Just like all the men she works with. But not like Johnny. She may be using him to get to Johnny, but he is using her. So, they are quits and she has nothing to feel guilty about.

Johnny is about to leave when he sees Dan still in his office. ‘You’re working late.’

‘I’ve got a date. I’m just hanging around, really.’

‘Oh yeah? Well, have fun.’ It doesn’t occur to Johnny to ask who he is seeing and Dan doesn’t get a chance to boast to him before he’s gone.

Grace chooses a pair of tight jeans, high-heeled shoes and a black chiffon blouse. She looks sexy, but not as if she has tried too hard. She arrives at the bar fifteen minutes late, and immediately spots a very anxious-looking Dan at a table. She goes to join him.

‘Sorry I’m late.’

‘I thought you might have changed your mind.’ He cringes at his keenness.

‘No, of course not.’ She feels bad now, because he thinks she is on a date with him, but she’s not, although she resolves that she will try to be. She will be as charming as she can, and she will try to ensure that he enjoys himself. Then she won’t feel so guilty. ‘I’d love a glass of white wine,’ she says, slightly teasing.

Johnny opens his front door and hangs up his jacket. As he turns towards the sitting room he stops in his tracks. Betty is standing in the doorway, one hand on her hip, the other clutching the door frame. Her hair is wild, she is wearing more make-up than he has seen her wear, ever, and she is wearing a blue negligée and high heels. He has an uncontrollable urge to laugh, but thinks better of it.

‘What’s this in aid of?’ he asks, approaching her. He has to admit she looks amazing in a slutty way.

‘You,’ she replies, throwing her arms around him. Then, after she has kissed him and made her intentions clear, she leads him to the kitchen, where she makes them even clearer.

Dan returns from the bar with a bottle of Chardonnay. Grace thinks he really is a nice guy.

‘Can I ask you a personal question?’ she asks.

‘Sure.’ He looks pleased.

‘How old are you?’

‘Twenty-nine.’

‘A youngster then.’ She is smiling in the way she does when she wants to tease.

‘I can’t be younger than you,’ he replies.

‘You can. I’m thirty-two. Divorced. Bit of a mess, really.’

‘I don’t think so. You only look as if you’re in your early twenties.’ She smiles at his flattery. It is going to be hard to get rid of him, she realises that. Maybe she is wrong and he’s genuine. She tries desperately not to think that, because although she is really sorry she feels it is unavoidable.

‘How long have you worked with Johnny?’ She tries to make the question sound innocent, although she worries that it is anything but.

‘About three years now. I joined the firm, he was already there. He’s a good guy.’

‘But is he a good financial adviser?’

‘He is, one of the best, which is a shame because otherwise you could work with me.’

‘Isn’t it unethical to take a client on a date?’

‘No. Not if you really want to. But it’s probably best that you work with Johnny. Then I can’t be accused of seducing you to nick all your money.’

Grace cringes. He has made his intentions clear. She is not sure if she sees a way out.

‘Do you socialise with Johnny as well as work with him?’

‘We go for lunch occasionally, and we go for a quick drink after work sometimes – oh, and he had this party a few weeks ago that I was invited to, but that’s all.’

He looks puzzled by her interest, but she needs to keep pressing him. ‘You went to a party. I guess you met his wife then?’

‘Yeah, why?’

‘Well, it’s just that he always talks about her and, you know, it’s unusual for men to talk about their wives when you want to talk about finance.’ She laughs. He relaxes.

‘It’s the whole garlic and vampire thing.’

‘What?’

‘Well, you’re the vampire – no offence, but you’re stunning and he’s married – so he talks about his wife, who is the garlic, to ward you off.’

‘But I had no intention of jumping over the desk and seducing him.’ Even if I really want to, she thinks.

‘I know, so does he, but men get funny around beautiful women. Anyway, she’s attractive. Really slim, quite boyish, but at this party she was so drunk, Johnny was mortified.’

‘Is she a lush?’ Grace thinks it would have been worth going to the party to see Betty make a fool of her control freak self, but then her plan never would have worked.

‘I don’t think so. Anyway, she’s nice. Really trendy and I have never heard him say a word against her. I think he’s completely devoted.’ That is more than she wanted to hear. He isn’t devoted. If he was so devoted why was he paying her more attention than he needed to? She feels cross all of a sudden, then calms herself. She is behaving like a schoolgirl with a crush and she isn’t. She never was.

‘Are you hungry, Dan?’

‘I’ll go and get the menus, shall I?’

He smiles, and Grace decides he has a really nice smile. When he asked her out, she saw it as a chance to make Johnny jealous, but she was the jealous one. She must sort herself out, because otherwise she is going to drive herself mad.

‘What did I do to deserve that?’ Johnny is collapsed on the kitchen floor.

‘Nothing. I felt like doing something different.’

‘Have you been to blow job lessons?’

‘Johnny!’ She hits him, gently.

‘Sorry, I was joking. Come here.’ He pulls her into his arms. ‘You are amazing, you know that?’ She kisses him, gently this time.

‘Are you hungry?’

‘Urn.’

‘I’ve got dinner ready.’

‘You cooked?’ The fear creeps into his voice.

‘I did. We’ve got lasagne.’

‘That’s my favourite.’ Johnny can’t believe his luck. All his favourite things in one night, and it isn’t even a weekend. He just hopes she hasn’t burnt it. Or forgotten to put lasagne in it.

‘I know.’ Betty kisses him again.

‘Betty, there isn’t something I should know about?’

‘Like what?’

‘It’s not my birthday, is it?’

‘Don’t be silly. If I can’t do something nice for my husband once in a while... Anyway, go and set the table. I’ll bring dinner in.’

‘I really want a burger. Are they good here?’

‘They are, but, Grace, wouldn’t you rather go somewhere else? The food is a bit... you know …’

‘It’s perfect. Dan, I don’t want anything fancy. I’m not like that.’

‘So two burgers then?’

‘Yes, and another bottle of wine maybe.’ She arches an eyebrow. ‘Let me give you some—’ He puts his finger over her lips, a move that disturbs her.

‘I’ll get it.’ When he walks away, she tells herself off again. Poor bloke, thinks that he’s Mr Romance when he’s nothing compared to Johnny. She tries to think about what she is going to do with him. She even hates herself for her thoughts. She feels miserable. Johnny is with Betty, and she is here with a man who thinks it’s sexy to silence her by putting his finger on her lips. She hates that. Just as she thinks she is going to boil over, she calms herself. She is using him, therefore has no right to be cross with him. She wonders what Johnny and Betty are doing. In her mind, they are having dinner, she is blabbing on and on about her day, and he is keeping quiet because he will probably be thinking about Grace. About the way she looked when she was in his office, how he caught a glimpse of her suspender belt (very old trick but it worked; he blushed, boy did he blush), how he would rather be with her than his boring old wife. She is out of control, she knows that now. Her feelings are out of control. She realises, as Dan returns with another bottle of wine, that she has managed to get herself drunk.

‘That was delicious,’ Johnny says, stroking Betty’s thigh. He touches her suspender belt and his mind automatically switches to thinking about Grace. How he glimpsed the top of her stocking. How he was shocked, because he expected her to wear tights, although he had no idea why she should. How turned on he was for a few minutes, and the blush that he felt creeping up his entire body.

‘Are you all right?’ Betty asks, noting the colour he has turned.

‘Sorry, darling, I was thinking about what you did to me earlier,’ he lies.

‘Why don’t we go to bed, leave this for morning and have a repeat performance?’ Betty leads the way, although, Johnny notes, she really can’t walk in those shoes.

‘That was delicious,’ Grace says, as she finishes the burger and another glass of wine.

‘Glad you enjoyed it.’ Dan leans in close. He seems to be drunk as well.

‘It’s late,’ Grace says, although she has no idea what the time is.

‘It’s half-past ten,’ Dan replies.

‘Bedtime,’ Grace says.

‘Right.’ He sounds put out.

‘I meant our bedtime. Where’s your flat?’ She has no idea where the words came from and she regrets them as soon as they leave her lips. She curses herself for her stupidity. She doesn’t want to sleep with him. She’s only just met him. What is she playing at? And why does everything lead back to Johnny?